Anyone who has been following the titanic battle for political space and relevance in Rivers State in the past few months between the Abuja Front and the Rivers Front will realize that what exists now in the State is only a fragile peace which has come about following a unilateral truce called by the Abuja Front. The truce is symbolized by the redeployment to the FCT of former Rivers State Police Commissioner, Mbu James Mbu, who has been the arrow head of the battle for supremacy by the Abuja Front. For those who are not fully in the picture of what is going on there and who the combatants are, Abuja Front is represented by the trio of President Goodluck Jonathan, his wife, Dame Patience and the Education Minister, Mr. Nyeeson Wike while Governor Rotimi Amaechi is of course the captain and platoon commander of the Rivers Front.
I call what is happening now a fragile peace because the war will resume in a much more fearsome manner and may end on a gruesome note given the sense of anger and indignation of both parties. The truce is only a tactical move to douse the public outcry that has greeted the acts of impunity that were being carried out by the Abuja Front in the war to emasculate, or if possible annihilate, Amaechi and his fighting forces. When the war drums for 2015 are sounded, the battle for the soul of Rivers State and its two million votes will resume in full. And even when that one is fought and won, we will not see an end to the war, depending on who emerges at the Centre as President. If Jonathan wins re-election, then Amaechi and his supporters should prepare for the coming humiliation. The eminent Nyeeson Wike has given us sufficient indication of just that.
He said recently that, ‘’we will arrest Amaechi next year’’, apparently when he will no longer have immunity and nowhere to hide. Since Wike used a royal ‘we’ in that remark and there has been no denial or denunciation from the Presidency, we should take it that the man was speaking for himself, Dame Patience and the President himself. Even if Wike had not voiced out any plan of revenge, it is clear from the President’s body language that he and his team are keeping a record of those they will settle scores with and that Amaechi is number one on that list and should therefore prepare for revenge and persecution immediately he ceases to be governor on May 29, 2015.
And that will be a grave tragedy because President Jonathan and company would be violating one of the greatest commands of God that we should not seek revenge. God resents those who want to engage in self-help by trying to get back at those they feel have hurt them. Revenge seeking is like blasphemy because you think God is not fair enough; not just enough; not strong enough and not wise enough to fight for you. And by so thinking, you diminish the essence of God. You want to become a God for yourself in your own cause and God hates this utterly. And for someone like Jonathan in particular who got that seat on a platter of gold and which showed very unmistakably that he got it by the grace of God, to begin to do or say anything that implies that he will win re-election by the strength of his political wizardry and by the muscle of the office of the presidency, will be very unfortunate indeed. There is something utterly distasteful in a man who has graciously been given an exalted office like that of the president of a country to turn around and use vengeful tactic against his enemies. It greatly diminishes that office and the person of the occupant who does that.
It is debatable but I have always maintained, rightly in my view, that in terms of solid, concrete achievements, former President Olusegun Obasanjo is the greatest leader Nigeria has ever had. No Nigerian leader has ever come near in terms of the solid things Obasanjo has done for Nigeria. Obasanjo, I also want to venture further, has done for Nigeria greater concrete things than the late Dr. Nelson Mandela had done for South Africa. But why did Mandela become a world icon celebrated by all men and women on earth and Obasanjo has not quite achieved such a status? The answer lies in one fact: Obasanjo is a score keeping and vengeful person while Mandela taught the world the virtue of forgiveness. We celebrate Mandela for that spiritual gift to mankind while Obasanjo is suffering for his heart full of unforgiveness. Those who believe in retaliation; who believe that they must prove their superiority over their enemies reduce themselves greatly. It is not a coincidence that today the people who have done the greatest damage to the image of Obasanjo are not those he has used delegated might to crush and humiliate; it is members of his own household: his wives and some of his children; kids he had fathered from his loins. That is a terrible misfortune to befall any man but that is what the man some of us call affectionately Baba has brought upon himself.
Up till today when my mind reviews the image of former Bayelsa Governor DipriyeAlamieyesiegha in handcuff like a dangerous criminal with his two handcuffed hands trying desperately to prevent his trousers which were threatening to fall off from his loins, fills me with revulsion for Obasanjo who I nevertheless regard as a great leader. Obasanjo planned and executed that act of humiliation against Alams for the simple reason that the man was aligning with former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar who he considered his number one political enemy at that time.
That is the type of treatment that Jonathan, his wife and Wike are planning for Amaechi. The question I ask people like Wike is that what if God decides that because you are deliberately planning to use the power he will give you to humiliate or persecute people and for that reason he decides not to give it to you again, what is the profit you will gain for keeping and trying to settle scores?
I call on President Jonathan to learn a lesson or two from the fate that has befallen Obasanjo. He should first of all learn to detoxify or purge himself of the Obasanjo in him. He must ask God for grace to forsake the spirit of vengeance which he has demonstrated ample possession of. Contrary to the position of many Nigerians about suspended CBN governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, I feel that he did not behave well in his crusade about the ‘’missing billions’’. Even if billions of dollars of Nigeria’s oil money are missing, the way and manner he went about it is unexpected of a man who occupies the office of CBN governor. Yet the manner he was humiliated and shoved out of office bears mark of a vengeful person who in addition, misuses his powers.
Jonathan rode to power on the banner of humility and self-effacement. The new image of a man of ego who is invested with enormous presidential powers and who is not ready to forgive any slight and who must prove to all that he is the ultimate, does not speak well of him.
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Article written by Idang Alibi
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